The invention relates to a mining machine that is utilizable in place of a conventional auger miner, and a method of continuously mining material from a bore and transporting it to the bore mouth. Conventional auger miners are useful for mining coal or the like from seams, however if the seam is long a heavy energy penalty is paid for the conveyance of the coal from the cutting site to the bore mouth when auger mining is utilized. According to the present invention, the energy needs for transporting cut coal or the like from the cutting site to the bore mouth are greatly reduced as compared to conventional auger mining, and additionally a much wider bore can be formed than is possible with conventional auger mining.
According to the present invention an endless conveyor belt is utilized instead of an auger for conveyance of the mined material from the cutting site to the bore mouth. Accordingly the method of the invention comprises the steps of cutting material in the bore to lengthen the bore, scooping the cut material and funnelling it onto the conveyor belt, supporting the conveyor belt at predetermined lengths therealong, adding supporting sections for the conveyor belt at the bore mouth as the bore lengthens, providing the necessary length of conveyor belt as the bore lengthens so that the conveyor belt always extends from adjacent the cutting site to the bore mouth, and transporting the mined material from the cutting site to the bore mouth with the conveyor belt. The steps of adding the supporting sections and providing more conveyor belt may be accomplished without interruption of the conveyance of mined material by the conveyor belt according to the present invention so that mining may be continuous, or even if mining is not continuous the conveyance of the cut material is. The power source for effecting cutting and advancing of the conveyor belt in response to the bore lengthening is preferably provided at the bore mouth, at least one shaft extending from the bore mouth to the cutting site, and the step of adding supporting sections for the conveyor belt at the bore mouth as the bore lengthens is accomplished simultaneously with the step of providing add-on sections for the at least one shaft so that shaft extends from the bore mouth to the cutting site.
A mining machine according to the invention includes a non-rotatable body member with stabilizing means for insuring non-rotative movement of the body member in a bore, at least one rotatable pilot cutting head mounted in front of the body member and means for rotating the cutting head including a rotatable shaft operatively connected to the cutting head, and conveying means mounted behind the pilot head in operative assocation with the body member for conveying material cut by the pilot head away from the cutting site. The conveying means comprises scoop means disposed posteriorly of the cutting head and having a bottom portion substantially abutting the bore floor and then extending posteriorly therefrom at a positive angle, and having side members that funnel toward each other. The conveying means also comprises at least one auger section associated with the shaft for rotation of the pilot head and located posteriorly of the pilot head and having a continuously decreasing flight diameter (extending away from the pilot head), and disposed above the scoop means bottom portion for conveying cut material up the bottom porytion; and a conveyor belt disposed posteriorly of the scoop means and extending to the bore mouth, said scoop means bottom portion and side members funnelling toward the conveyor belt, and a top, transporting surface of the conveyor belt being disposed adjacent the termination of the scoop means bottom portion and side members, said at least one auger section also terminating before said conveyor belt. More than one cutting head may be provided with two shafts extending frofm the cutting heads, one shaft disposed on either side of the conveyor belt and extending to the bore mouth. A power source is located at the bore mouth for rotation of the shafts and for movement of the cutting heads, body member, and entire assembly forwardly as boring progesses. The conveyor belt includes an anterior portion adjacent the scoop means including a plurality of rollers which are of a solid metal core with resilient material coating, and portions of the conveyor belt posterior of said conveyor belt anterior portion include rollers forming a trough and supporting the conveyor belt transporting surface thereon. Add-on sections are provided for supporting the conveyor belt at predetermined positions along the length thereof, each add-on section including vertically extending supports for supporting the trough-forming rollers, and bushing collars for supporting the shafts. The connection of the trough-forming rollers to the vertically extending supports is readily releasable so that an add-on section may be lowered over the conveyor belt and the trough-forming rollers readily attached to the vertically extending sections. A belt take-up unit provides the necessary length of belt as the bore lengthens so that the conveyor belt always extends from adjacent the cutting site to the bore mouth.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a mining machine that efficiently conveys cut material from the cutting site to the bore mouth, and one that may mine a relatively wide bore. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.